Key controlled toy vehicle



Oct. 5, 1965 w. L. STRAUSS KEY CONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE Filed Oct. 24, 1963 R E V m WALTER L, STRAUSS BY \A Q t ,4 7- TORNE rs United States Patent 3,209,489 KEY CONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE Walter L. Strauss, 1107 Broadway, New York, N.Y. Filed Oct. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 318,568 4 Claims. (Cl. 46208) The present invention relates to a toy vehicle and, more particularly, to an automotive toy vehicle.

It is a broad object of the invention to provide a novel and improved automotive toy vehicle in which the operation and function of the ignition key of an actual motor driven vehicle are simulated.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved automotive toy vehicle in which a control member simulating the ignition key for an actual motor driven vehicle arrests the driving mechanism of the toy vehicle in one position and releases the mechanism for operation in another position.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved automotive toy vehicle in which the control member simulating the ignition key is located in the dashboard of the toy vehicle that is similar to the location of the ignition switch of an actual motor driven vehicle.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter and will be set forth in the appended claims constituting part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a toy automotive vehicle according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is an elevational sectional view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the control mechanism of the vehicle in a different position.

The exemplified toy vehicle is shown as simulating a passenger car and, more specifically, a convertible, but the control mechanism may also be embodied in any other Wheeled toy. The control mechanism is exemplified in connection with a toy vehicle which is driven by the energy stored by a flywheel, but it may also be applied to a vehicle driven by a spring motor.

Referring now in detail in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle comprises a body supported on rear wheels 11 and front wheels 11a. Rotation of the rear wheels when the same are spun, is transmitted through a gear 12, a pinion 13, a gear 14 and a pinion 15 to a flywheel 16'. As it is well known, rapid rotation of the rear wheels when the vehicle is lifted up, will store momentum in the flywheel which can be utilized to propel the vehicle by placing the same upon a suitable surface. The vehicle will then run until the energy stored by the flywheel is exhausted. While a drive for the rear wheels is shown, the front wheels may also be driven by a suitably modified drive mechanism.

The control mechanism according to the invention comprises a control bar 17 lengthwise slidably guided in the vehicle body. One end 17a of bar 17 is bent off to form at the tip of end 17a a brake shoe frictionally en gageable with flywheel 16. FIG. 1 shows bar portion 17a in frictional pressure engagement with the periphery of the flywheel and FIG. 2 shows the control bar withdrawn from the flywheel. The other end 17b of bar 17 is also bent off and terminates in a portion extending toward a dashboard 18 on the side thereof opposite to a drivers seat 19. The dashboard has a slot 20 in which is inserted a key 21 preferably shaped similar to an actual ignition key. Key 21 may terminate at its inner end in a small plate or disk 21a which prevents complete withdrawal of the key from slot 20 and is engageable with the tip of bar portion 17b. However, the key may also be so shaped that it can be withdrawn from the dashboardv Key 21 may occupy either the withdrawn position of FIG. 1 or the pushed-in position of FIG. 2. The position of FIG. 1 is the position corresponding to the position in which the ignition of a car is switched off and the posi tion of FIG. 2 is the position corresponding to the switched-on position of the ignition switch. A spring 23 secured at its end 23a to a portion 17a of bar 17 and at its end 23b to a fixed portion of the body of the car seeks to retain bar 17 in the position of FIG. 1, that is, in the position in which the flywheel is restrained by engagement with portion 17a of the bar. Spring 23 may be a light spring since a slight frictional restraint at the rim of the flywheel is adequate due to the step-down gearing between rear wheels 11 and flywheel 16 whereby the torque at the flywheel is comparatively low.

The key may be moved from the switch-off position of FIG. 1 in which the flywheel is restrained, into the switch-on position of FIG. 2 in which the flywheel is released, by simply pushing the key in. As it is evident, such movement will displace bar 17 from the position of FIG. 1 into the position of FIG. 2 against the action of spring 23. To retain key 21 in the position of FIG. 2, the keyhole or slot 20 and the width of shank portion 21b of the key may be so correlated that the key is locked in the position of FIG. 2 when it is turned through an angle of degrees in reference to the position of FIG. 1. To unlock the key, the same m-ust again be turned through an angle of 90 degrees and can then be withdrawn into the position of FIG. 1. The key can be completely withdrawn when plate 21a is omitted, or has a shape such that it can pass through slot 20.

As it is evident, the operation of key 21 simulates closely the operation of an actual ignition key.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a certain now preferred example and embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope -of the invention, and it is intended therefore to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy vehicle comprising a vehicle body, front and rear running wheels supported by said body, an inertia type driving mechanism mounted on said body, said mechanism including a flywheel member and mutually engaging rotary members coupled to the flywheel member and to at least one of said wheels for transmitting kinetic energy, generated by rotating said coupled wheel while being clear of a support base, to the flywheel member and kinetic energy stored by the flywheel member to said coupled wheel, thereby driving said body when the same is placed upon a support base, a control bar mounted on the vehicle body, said control bar being lengthwise displaceable between a vehicle-stopping position in which one end of said bar is in frictional engagement with one of said members to restrain rotation of the coupled wheel and a release position in which the bar is withdrawn from said frictional engagement, spring means mounted on the vehicle body and engaging said bar to bias the same into the stopping position, and a control key mounted on the vehicle body, said key being movable into engagement with said bar for displacing the same into the release position against the action of said spring means.

2. A toy vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle body comprises a dashboard having a slot there- 3 through, said control key being slidably extended through said slot, the other end of the control bar terminating adjacent to said control key engageable therewith for moving the bar into the release position by displacement of the key in the slot.

3. A toy vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said control key has an enlarged portion at its end facing the control bar, said enlarged portion being engageable with said other end of the bar.

4. A vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said control key has a shank portion including a notch releasably engageable with the slot in the dashboard to retain the key in the position in which the respective rotary member is released from the bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,365,841 1/21 Mellenthin 70-237 1,394,357 10/21 Rose 70-245 2,121,869 6/38 Greenawalt 70-238 2,735,222 2/56 Glass 46-208 10 2,855,722 10/58 Hausser 46-208 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOY VEHICLE COMPRISING A VEHICLE BODY, FRONT AND REAR RUNNING WHEELS SUPPORTED BY SAID BODY, AN INERTIA TYPE DRIVING MECHANISM MOUNTED ON SAID BODY, SAID MECHANISM INCLUDING A FLYWHEEL MEMBER AND MUTUALLY ENGAGING ROTARY MEMBERS COUPLED TO THE FLYWHEEL MEMBER AND TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WHEELS FOR TRANSMITTING KINETIC ENERGY, GENERATED BY ROTATING SIDA COUPLED WHEEL WHILE BEING CLEAR OF A SUPPORT BASE, TO THE FLYWHEEL MEMBER AND KINETIC ENERGY STORED BY THE FLYWHEEL MEMBER TO SAID COUPLED WHEEL, THEREBY DRIVING SAID BODY WHEN THE SAME IS PLACED UPON A SUPPORT BASE, A CONTROL BAR MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE BODY, SAID CONTROL BAR BEEING LENGTHWISE DISPLCEABLE BETWEEN A VEHICLE-STOPPING POSITION IN WHICH ONE END OF SAID BAR IS IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAID MEMBERS TO RESTRAIN ROTATION OF THE COUPLED WHEEL AND A RELEASE POSITION IN WHICH THE BAR IS WITHDRAWN FROM SAID FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT, SPRING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE BODY AND ENGAGING SAID BAR TO BIAS THE SAME INTO THE STOPPING POSITION, AND A CONTROL KEY MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE BODY, SAID KEY BEING MOVABLE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BAR FOR DISPLACING THE SAME INTO THE RELEASE POSITION AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING MEANS. 